Log In | Register
LYON — The French government has ordered 28 million doses of swine flu vaccine from Sanofi Pasteur, parent company Sanofi-Aventis SA said Thursday.
The order from the French Ministry of Health is for an initial supply, and includes an option to buy another 28 million doses of vaccine against the new H1N1 influenza virus, the Paris-based company said.
The World Health Organization has declared the virus outbreak a global pandemic, although most cases have been mild and only several hundred deaths have been reported worldwide since the virus emerged this spring.
Sanofi Pasteur, which is based in Swiftwater, Pa., said it estimates its first vaccine doses will be ready in four to six months. They will be manufactured in a company plant in Val de Reuil, France.
Any vaccine would have to be tested and then approved by government regulators before it could be distributed.
